


Waste

by Ephy



Series: Street rat [4]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: M/M, Mentions of Underage Prostitution, aggressive flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-15 11:51:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1303879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ephy/pseuds/Ephy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick never enjoyed the evenings spent publicly as Bruce Wayne’s ward in some high society event. Bruce kind of expected it would be the same for Jason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Waste

**Waste**

 

Dick had never enjoyed the evenings spent publicly as Bruce Wayne’s ward in some upper society event. Though he was quite the socialite, he’d complained at great length about how boring they were.

Bruce had kind of expected that it would be the same for Jason.

Even more so: he’d thought Jason would be at least a bit impressed, or embarrassed. The kid did come from the streets after all and neither his speech nor his manners matched the place’s standards.

He should probably have known better.

It wasn’t that Jason didn’t swear; but he did it with that quality of voice that made people laugh around him. He flattered the women, charmed their daughters, and listened to the men as if he grasped what they were talking about.

Had he tried, he would have been able to do just so, but Bruce could see his eyes slightly unfocused, looking around the room. Not for the first time since they’d arrived, he wondered what Jason was thinking about.

Then, suddenly, Jason focused on the man who was talking to him, and smirked. Bruce felt his muscles tense, ready to go and stop the kid before he hurt someone. But Jason didn’t. Instead, he leaned toward the man to whisper something in his ear – and put his hand on the man’s lap.

Horror climbed out of Bruce’s gut to grab his throat. Jason’s hand didn’t move when he sat back in his chair and, after a few seconds, the man started smiling.

Afterward, Bruce never remembered exactly what excuse he’d served to the people surrounding him. He just knew he’d crossed the room in straight line to Jason and put a – possessive – hand on his shoulder. Then smiled.

He was almost sure he hadn’t said anything threatening to the man. Who still backed off in a split of second.

Jason raised his eyebrows at him.

“Well?”

“I think we’re going home.”

“Fucking finally!”

So he hadn’t been enjoying the evening, in the end.

They didn’t talk at all during their ride to the manor. Jason hummed some tune heard earlier at the radio. Bruce found himself strumming his fingers on the door’s handle.

He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to _think_. His brain was spinning in all directions, from ‘what the hell was Jason thinking’ to ‘I’m going to _break_ that man’.

The car stopped and they got out, climbing the stairs to the manor’s main door. In the hall, Alfred took their coats and Jason undid his tie with a satisfied sigh.

 _Why did you do that_ , Bruce thought.

Jason smirked at him, as if he’d talked out loud. His Robins always seemed to know what he wasn’t saying.

“I kind of hoped you’d beat him into a pulp, but, hell, had he followed me, I could have done it myself, couldn’t I?”

Bruce would have tensed if his muscles hadn’t been rock-solid already. He put a Batman-level of warning in his stare. Jason only laughed.

“What? That place was just money and decadence. It fucking stank of it. I ain’t nothing to do in there, ‘xcept perhaps suck some johns. Or freaking _bite_ them.”

Bruce was taken aback by the rage contained in his words. It must have showed, because Jason laughed again – and this time, it didn’t sound joyful at all.

“Jesus, you don’t get it. I should have known. Of course you wouldn’t. You were raised as one of them. Don’t worry, I know you’re kinda different. You try, for God’s sake, you _act_. But there’s still some of that pretty billionaire in there, mh?”

Jason – Jay – walked towards him, smirking, his whole body screaming of aggressively. However, instead of punching him, Jay put a hand on Bruce’s chest, then let it slide, slowly, to his waist.

“Perhaps you want a piece of me yourself? I already offered. I was serious, y’know? It’s not that I wouldn’t mind. I would actually _enjoy_ feeling those big, strong hands on me, God, it would be _fabulous_.”

“Not today,” Bruce answered, forcing himself to smile knowingly. “I already told you: we’ll see about that when you hit 18.”

“Aw, really? Come on, Bruce… Wouldn’t you like to feel my mouth around your cock?”

“That lovely mouth of yours, however tempting, is still very much too young for my tastes.”

Jason laughed and backed off. Bruce felt like crawling out of his own skin.

He hoped someday the kid would have relaxed enough with him that he could tell him that was a lie. He’d never touch him, never. But Jason was so much expecting him to do it that telling him otherwise would sound like a lie in the kid’s ears. The truth, the fact that he was truly safe at the manor, Jason couldn’t accept just yet.

Someday, he would.

And then, it clicked in Bruce’s head.

Jason had been expecting the same from the men of the reception. He expected it so much that he’d decided to take the lead, to feel like he had a choice in the matter. To be in control.

Sometimes, Bruce really felt like punching whoever made Jason kneel the first time.

“I would have,” he said to the kid at last. “Beaten him into pulp.”

Jason’s smirk finally disappeared from his lips, just a second, before flickering back into place. But it wasn’t as defensive as before – because that’s what his whole attitude was about. He needed to hide that he was scared, to hide any weakness at all. To bite before being bitten.

Bruce put his hand back on Jason’s shoulder. The kid trusted him enough to relax at the touch. He took the opportunity to push a bit further.

“What happened in there?” he asked.

Jason tensed again, then sighed.

“You really don’t see it.”

It was merely an observation. Bruce squeezed his shoulder.

“Help me see it.”

Jason looked at him. He wasn’t smirking anymore, all provocation gone. He looked tired, like a 14 year old kid should never be.

“Do you know what that whole room was worth?” he finally asked. “I mean, not the people, but… the furniture. The clothes. The fucking curtains. If I’d put my hands on one fucking earring of one of those old bitches six months ago, I would have been able to pay for Wendy’s medicine. Give me a second pair and I could have bought us all new coats. Hell, I could have bought a _flat_. The food no one was eating, what will it become, afterwards? If they fucking throw it away I’m going to _kill_ someone.”

Bruce looked back at Jason, at that kid who thought it would be a good idea to steal the Batmobile’s tires. Perhaps he hadn’t done it for the money or the fun of it. Perhaps he’d tried out of spite, for the vigilante who pretended to help the city without helping _him_.

Anyone else looking at him with such obvious despair painted on his face, Bruce would have kissed. He didn’t have words for comfort. His body talked much more clearly than his mouth. But Jason he couldn’t kiss, so he just – put his arms around him, like that – and hugged.

For once, Jason let him.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so that went a bit farther than I first wanted (not that I mind!). This was supposed to be simply about Jason being mad at the rich people from Gotham, so sure they were doing the right thing when they could just have give their food for the evening to charity.  
> Then, well, Jay acted as Jay does, and I had to explain a bit more about his relationship with Batman (or, at least, the way I like to imagine it).  
> Last point: I'm totally into Jason/Bruce, but not in this universe. Sorry!


End file.
